Archer improving job prospects for young people

At Archer, we’re proud to be part of the Kickstart scheme and doing our bit to help support and secure a brighter future for young people. The UK government’s kickstart scheme is a skills and employment programme designed to help improve the job prospects for young people.

Over the last few months, we’ve been delighted to have our new kickstart placement Henry Mann on our team. Henry has shown an endless positive attitude towards learning and grasping new skills as an Operations Consultant at Archer. He has been given the resources and one-to-one support and training to enable him to develop some core skills and positive working habits within a commercial and business environment.

​If you’re looking to kick start your career, spend a few minutes learning about Henry’s journey for some inspiration.

A little about Henry…

Henry completed his BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Business Studies in August 2020. His ambition was to find employment in an entry-level role within the Property Sector after the summer holidays. Unfortunately due to Co-vid job opportunities became scarce. This meant Henry had to think on his feet and be a little more creative in trying to find a job opportunity. He filled his spare time by building industry contacts and was lucky enough to secure some short-term work experience with a local recruitment firm. This gave Henry a greater awareness and interest to delve deeper into the idea of getting into property recruitment.

Q&A

What attracted you to the Kickstart Scheme with Archer?

Finding a position that suited my skill set & personality was key. Out of all the positions I had researched, I felt that the placement with Archer ticked all the boxes. I was particularly fond of the idea that unlike most jobs within this sector, the kickstart scheme specifically looks for a school-leaver wishing to develop skills through training & on-the-job experience. I liked the idea of getting support & gaining knowledge from Archer`s experienced recruitment team. I felt that as someone who is fresh to the working world I wanted to absorb as much knowledge & experience as possible, and Archer was a place where this is very possible.

What kinds of duties are you tasked with on a day-to-day basis?

As an Operations Consultant, I play an important role in supporting Archer’s team of recruitment consultants. This includes formatting candidate CVs, creating potential candidate lists for roles, and updating candidate details on the recruitment system. Aside from this, I assist with Archer`s marketing campaigns by creating various posts for our social media platforms. Throughout my time partaking in the Kickstart scheme, I have also received specialist training from the team including systems training and other general recruitment knowledge & work skills.

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

I would say that I have really had to improve (and am constantly developing) my organisational skills upon entering this Kickstart role. Having never been in a full-time office job before, I have really had to adapt in terms of organisation. Writing down daily tasks in my diary for the day and ticking them off upon completion is a satisfying process that has helped me keep on top of things massively. I plan on continuing to develop skills amongst as my working career moves forward.

What has been your favourite part about working for Archer through this scheme?

The team. As the youngest and newest member of the archer team, I have received a great amount of training and support and gained on-the-job working experience. Upon starting this new job I did not think that my work would be making a difference to others so quickly and it’s great to know that I’ve been able to make a positive contribution. Moreover, I am really enjoying the working atmosphere here. It’s a bubbly atmosphere, but an extremely dedicated & hard-working atmosphere at the same time, which I feel incredibly privileged to be a part of. I particularly enjoyed taking part in our half-yearly Townhall day. It was great to experience the social side of the company.

What are your plans for the future after completing the Kickstart scheme?

As someone who has only just recently set foot into the working world, it is hard to pinpoint an exact plan for the near future. However, I plan on taking as much out of this Kickstart scheme as possible as I would like to become a recruitment consultant in the future.

Get in touch…

We’d love to hear from you if you’re interested in joining Archer via the Kickstart scheme. To find out more please get in touch with Joyce at : joyce@archerrecruitment.com